Ketchum has been blessedly busy this holiday season, but residents and visitors are being forced to walk on snow-clogged sidewalks even in busy parts of town.
Judging by the sidewalk terrain parks in front of some undeveloped lots, property owners are ignoring the city ordinance that requires them or tenants to clear sidewalks within six daylight hours of any snowfall.
The threat of a $300 fine or six months in jail or both for each day of the violation clearly means nothing to the scofflaws who violate the ordinance year after year.
Consequently, pedestrians are left to foot-pack many sidewalk sections into uneven mounds of dangerous snow and ice.
Walks have not been shoveled even on a block on Fourth Street, the city's new, expensive and highly touted pedestrian walkway. The block is home to several unoccupied commercial buildings, and it connects key retail areas in town.
Members of the City Council recently said that they want to fix the problem, but here it is, the busiest week of the winter season, and the walks are still clogged. The council is now part of a long line of councils to do nothing about the problem.
When Councilman Curtis Kemp suggested having the city clear the walks, he met with resistance. At the very least, the city should clear clogged sidewalks and send the property owner a bill.
It's tough enough to do business in Ketchum and to generate the local sales taxes upon which the city depends. Ketchum is a tourist town and should take care of visitors and businesses, its most precious economic assets, and it needs to do it pronto.
